Numerous Car Break-ins in St. Albans Area
Numerous Car Break-ins in St. Albans Area Save Email Print
Posted: 8:29 PM Dec 22, 2008
Last Updated: 8:29 PM Dec 22, 2008
Reporter: Will Jones
Email Address: will.jones@wsaz.com

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ST. ALBANS, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A car alarm might not be on your Christmas list, but police said it should be near the top.

There have been about 20 car break-ins in the last 10 days in St. Albans. No place has been safe from this type of crime, not even in a church parking lot.

The Rev. Chris Kilbert of Riverlawn Church said a thief came to his church Sunday night but not to repent. Instead, he broke a car window and ran off with a purse and cell phone.

"My first reaction was shock and surprise," Kilbert said.

Police said thieves are taking whatever they can find, including wallets, CD carriers and hand tools.

"We always see an influx of it this time of year," St. Albans Police Chief Joe Crawford said.

Police said thieves are getting their hands on the goods without much effort.

"They walk by and look and try the doors," Crawford said. "They'll get in and pilfer through the vehicle and then take whatever they want."

Police said to remember to lock your car doors and store your valuables out of sight. Kilbert said he plans to take that advice a step further by having some church members patrol the parking lot during service.

"The people who have to go out and do the patrolling -- they miss out on the service," he said. "Of course, we want to be able to feel safe, so it's very unfortunate."

Police also recommend car alarms to protect yourself. If you don't have that or can't afford it, police said rely on dogs in your neighborhood to keep watch. They said often times when they get a call about a barking dog in a neighborhood, a thief is usually lurking nearby.

St. Albans police have made one arrest so far.

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Posted by: PIGS on Dec 23, 2008 at 05:49 PM
hey leroy, they know exactly who did it. I can even tell you there names. Like I said SA cops SUCK!

Posted by: Pablo on Dec 23, 2008 at 03:51 PM
Come on, PIGS. Lighten up on the cops. I'm sure they are doing the best they can within the law. We all know people we "think" are dealing in drugs. But, a cop legally can't arrest someone because someone else "thinks" that person is dealing drugs. In this case, until the police get some evidence that these "kids" are involved, there is nothing they can do. I take your word for it, the kids you are talking about very well could be guilty of the break-ins. But until they get a witness or other evidence, they simply can't go and arrest them. My opinion is that its not the cops that are our problems, its the judges and justice system that won't deal out punishment when they do catch these kids. Hell, they won't even print their names in the paper because they are minors. The justice system does everything it can to "protect" these hoodlums. Thats the laws that need changed. But the cops are tops in my book. They are doing their jobs. Blame a judge for our crime rate.

Posted by: Pablo on Dec 23, 2008 at 09:06 AM
I agree with Miss M. If I catch someone breaking into my vehicle, I'm shooting first and asking questions later. I'm a pretty good shot and don't miss. Nothing says "security" better than my Sig .45

Posted by: Leroy on Dec 23, 2008 at 09:00 AM
Hey PIGS, knowing that someone did something & proving it are two different things. There's annoying things like evidence & the Constitution that get in the way. Face it man, the rulez favor the bad guys and not the cops. Like the lawyers luv to say, better 1000 guilty men go free than one innocent man be incarcerated.

Posted by: Cliff on Dec 23, 2008 at 08:37 AM
Our car was vandalized in Columbus last Sunday in a Hotel parking lot. The manager of the hotel said they have been having problems recently, but did not tell anyone. It gets worse, the total loss between the car and contents came to $1,275, I got back a whopping $200 from Allstate. Make sure you understand your policy, in this case the deducatalbe for the auto was applied, and a second deductable for the contents was applied against the homeowners policy. It all sucks!

Posted by: Miss M on Dec 23, 2008 at 04:01 AM
If anyone tries to break into one of my vehicles they are gonna get a huge suprise.

Posted by: Anonymous on Dec 23, 2008 at 03:39 AM
someone is just trying to support their meth habit

Posted by: Mark on Dec 22, 2008 at 11:24 PM
If people can't have what you do, then they take it from you or vandalize it. They don't want you having what they don't. Thieves should be shot on sight. I had a truck broken into on a church parking lot during service in the 90's. They ripped the after market radio out of the dash and were never caught as far as I know.

Posted by: PIGS on Dec 22, 2008 at 10:21 PM
The SA cops suck! They know who broke into my car, but they can't go an arrest the stupid kids!!! Seriously, the cops in SA dont care about anything!!!!

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